The AML-1 costs a mere £40 - a small price to pay for something which extends the flexibility of the DP1 to a fair degree - and comes in a nice fitted leather case with bright red lining, similar to the HC-11 hard case. The only thing Sigma seem to have overlooked is some means of attaching the little case to a camera strap. To use the AML-1 you also require the hood adaptor HA-11, which provides the bayonet fit for the square lens hood and a 46mm screw thread for filters/adaptors. It's this requirement for the HA-11 that makes the lack of neckstrap attachment for the close-up lens less of a problem, since you'll need to carry the other accessories too.

 The AML-1 itself is a 2 element, 1 group lens that provides the DP1 with a focal distance of 20-33cm with magnification of 1:8.2 to 1:14.9 - reducing the minimum focus distance by 13cm. It's not really fair to call it a Macro lens - Sigma's term of "Close-up lens" is very appropriate. Some users have suggested stacking them for true Macro performance and I might get a chance to try this in the near future.

it performs very well within the specifications - some may ask for a more dramatic reduction in closest focus - with no apparent chromatic aberration (there does appear to be a more subtle colour shift across the image in some circumstances), fast sharp focus and no noticable drop in brightness. There's an unusual distortion at the very corners, but the DP1's excellent DoF and the sort of subjects most people would put this lens to work with mean that this will not be an issue.

Without an opportunity to find some suitably colourful subjects (I've seen some excellent examples with dragonflies and other large insects from people in more appropriate climates), I've resorted to a couple of 1:18 scale diecast models - more pictures will be added when the weather improves.

This DS model shows a quick product shot:

This was taken using incadescent light, there's a slight shift visible which has been exacerbated by post-processing. The smooth out of focus area and astonishingly sharp detail of the headlight and front turn signal shows the DP1 with AML-1 has great potential for modelmakers and retailers wanting to show off their designs - the Foveon X3 sensor has some unique qualities that really shine in this application.

Here's a Citroën SM:

I wanted to focus on a specific area of the car, and used the built-in flash - which as you can see casts a shadow due to the HA-11. The area which interested me however was the headlight, and I wanted the reflection from the light source. If you can find an older ringflash and a safe-synch, you should be able to use one with an adaptor successfully.

The detail I was after:

This, at 500 pixels, is a direct crop from the DP1's output. Notice the diaphragm star, the lack of fringing, and the clearly 3-dimensional feel of the image. Along the bonnet closing panel the imperfections in the casting are clearly on a different plane to the black background of the engine - something a Bayer camera would have lost. The AML-1 doesn't interfere with the DP1's sharpness in the slightest.

Finally, some more detail:

Here I was more interested in showing the construction of this diecast model. Most scale models are made with a "shell" and detail is added, Norev's model of the SM uses separate metal front fenders/wings, which if you're trying to demonstrate what a buyer would get in a model is quite hard to show - here the DP1 and AML-1 have allowed me to capture not only the clearly separate nature of the front panels, but also the method of construction for the chrome trim. Again, the Foveon's lack of colour aliasing gives clear depth to the detail in the image such as the wiring loom on the inner wing and the imperfections in the casting.

To me, the AML-1 is what most people call a "no brainer" - if you have a DP1 then you probably have the HA-11 and lens hood anyway, and for the low cost - £44.95 SRP and around £30-40 online - you really have no excuse not to add this to the kit. I only wish I had more universally interesting subjects to hand!